The Killdeer: And Other Stories from the Farming Life

Honored by his peers as a Circle of Excellence Storyteller of the National Storytelling Network, Michael Cotter was born near Austin, Minnesota, in 1931 on the farm that had been in his family since 1876. He was the youngest of eight children and was raised in a strict Irish-Catholic household. However, the barn and fields were a different world, populated by hired men who were hoboes, drifting in during the Great Depression. His stories reflect those two conflicting life styles, blended together with his own version of Irish humor. Michael has farmed with horses and combines with global positioning; and his stories describe the personalities of the people and animals that were a part of that evolution. He was fifty years old when he first stepped on the stage, and his unusual approach to storytelling has given him the opportunity to perform throughout the U.S.; including the Smithsonian Folk Festival, National Storytelling Festival, schools, fairs, retreats, programs, television, hosting radio shows in Des Moines, Iowa, and Austin, and a number of other venues. He was the Artistic Director of the Minnesota Storytelling Festival for twenty-two years, starred in a healing stories film used by the Mayo Clinic, and is a national award winning storyteller. Michael now resides in Albert Lea, Minnesota, with his wife Beverly, a writer and artist, and still spends his days working with his son on the farm.

"Michael Cotter's stories ring with universal truths and values common to every society, whether agrarian like his own, or urban. His settings celebrate the farming life, and his themes touch every heart. Only a generous spirit could have written these affecting stories, penned by one of the most gracious people I've had the honor to know."